There is no better time to go green than today. The impact of years of irresponsible behavior are very clear; all stakeholders, individuals and corporations, need to work together to reverse those impacts and give the planet a chance to recover.

For businesses, the decision to go green can actually be based on logical, short-term reasons. Your business needs to start going green, and there are some of the reasons why taking the necessary steps to go green is important.

You’re Protecting the Market

Access2knowledge.org published a very good piece on what would happen if all oxygen on earth disappears for 5 seconds. Oxygen is a vital element on this planet, so life without oxygen isn’t possible. The article takes us through the chain of events that will happen in that circumstance; it is a scary chain of events to say the least.

Here’s an even scarier thought: we’re inching towards such a catastrophic event. At the current rate, the air may be too polluted sooner than you think. It will not be long before the atmosphere is too toxic for us humans.

Bad business practices that are unfriendly to the environment are, in simple terms, killing the customers. By making the shift towards environment-friendly business practices, you are making a collective effort to protect the market and your business.

It Saves Money

Going green is actually a great way to save money. You can reduce a lot of costs by making small adjustments to your business operations. By switching from printed paper documents to a digital document management system, for instance, you save money on printing costs, paper costs, and other overhead.

The same can be said for using energy-efficient office equipment. Sticking with equipment with good Energy Star ratings alone can lower the company’s energy bills by as much as 50%. Taking further steps to improve energy efficiency will not only lower your carbon footprint, but also save you money in the process.

We haven’t even talked about the tax advantages and government incentives yet. There are quite a lot of programs that allow businesses to earn incentives and qualify for tax breaks by operating in an environment-friendly way. For example, the federal government will cover up to 30% of the cost of installing new renewable energy systems in business facilities.

It Is Good for Branding

The move towards greener business operations isn’t a move you should make for branding or marketing purposes, but there are indeed ways to benefit from making the shift. Recent studies show that more customers now opt for brands and products that are friendly to the environment.

You can see a trend taking shape on the market too. Electric cars are more popular than ever. Organic goods are now market leaders in various product categories. The customers are more loyal to these green products too. As you invest in green operations and sustainability, you invest in the value of your brand too.

There are endless reasons why going green is a must. For businesses, practical reasons such as the ones we discussed in this article should be more than enough to persuade action and encourage changes.